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As New York's number of deaths from the novel coronavirus climbs closer and closer to 1,000, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to prepare New Yorkers for the bleak reality that the number may be a small fraction of what's ahead.

Cuomo said the latest total of deaths — 965 people, as of Sunday, up 237 deaths in one day — combined with the rising number of positive cases will likely lead to a significant increase in casualties.

"I don't see how you look at those numbers and conclude anything less than thousands of people will pass away," Cuomo said.

"Remember who it's attacking ... I don't see how you get past that curve without seeing thousands of people pass away. I hope it's wrong."

The majority of the deaths, 678 of them, were in New York City. Cuomo warned that while the city is the most acute problem, the death toll will grow in the coming weeks across the state and the nation, calling it "rolling apex."

New York, with nearly 60,000 people having tested positive and more than 8,500 people hospitalized, has the most coronavirus cases in the country. As of Sunday, New Jersey had the second most with 11,124 cases.

Over the last few weeks, Cuomo has issued a series of executive orders in an effort to slow the spread of the virus and to give hospitals a fighting chance as the number of patients requiring care increases exponentially each day.

Part of those limitations includes restrictions to nursing home visitations and testing for nursing home employees. Cuomo said about one quarter of the deaths were at nursing homes, saying, "This virus preys on the vulnerable; it preys on seniors."

"There's many different projections that we're (looking) at and it does seem that — already, we're at 965 — so we do see in the thousands," Zucker said.

"We do have to plan for what the model may show, but hopefully it will be less."

The state has provided a daily total of confirmed cases and statewide deaths, but it has not provided a county-by-county total of deaths, leaving to the counties to announce their own totals at this point.

On Sunday, Cuomo said New York was extending a ban on non-essential employees from coming into the office until April 15. Schools throughout the state are also closed until April 15.